Category: Articles

MOULD, the word that scares many homeowners and occupants alike. Our goal in this post is to share some information on the topic that will help you understand the subject better.

Ok, first off there are thousands of different kinds of mould species that could be present in your home so don’t immediately think you are dealing with the infamous “black mould”. Mould spores are referred to as being ubiquitous which means they are found practically everywhere on planet earth, from the forest to the streets, to even inside your home. These mould spores are for the most part harmless, in fact, we breathe them in every day and we are still standing. The point where they can be an irritant to your health is when they become active and begin to grow in your home.

How to identify mould / microbial growth in your home:

In this article we will be covering one of the most common types of property damage that we see; water damaged flooring.

How can flooring get water damaged you may ask?

Well there are countless ways in which water can spill onto your floor but some common ones include; overflows from sinks and toilets, appliance leaks such as dishwashers and washing machines, and of course broken pipes.

Now, the first thing somebody with water damaged flooring asks me is; can it be restored or does it have to be replaced?

That is what we will aim to answer for you, so whether you have water damaged carpeting, laminate, engineered hardwood, or even solid hardwood floors, this article will help you understand or at least give you the information you need to better understand your current situation.Continue reading “Dealing With Water Damaged Flooring”→

Have you ever encountered a situation where you suspect there is something weird going on inside your wall or ceiling? Perhaps a leak within the structure or you suspect there is a cold draft coming in from somewhere but you just cant seem to pinpoint it?

Well with the use of the latest technology, we are now able to identify these problem areas and start seeing the invisible.

This is done through the use of thermal imaging, at one point this technology was very expensive and reserved only for military and government applications. However as this technology progresses it becomes more affordable to apply it to other new industries, in this case the property restoration industry.

The company we have to thank for this isFLIR. Flir is a pioneer in the thermal imagining sector and produces the best equipment available today. We first started using these Flir cameras in my business about 10 years ago and each camera was in the $10,000-$15,000 range, the technology was just being released for use in our industry so they were quite expensive to own. Nowadays the price for a basic model is very affordable as they go for around $1,000. This new price range makes it a must own for any property restoration professional.

For property restoration, some of the best uses of thermal imaging technology include:

We think we have all heard the word “HEPA” before, and it is usually associated with clean air. While in simple terms that is correct, we will be going into a bit more detail of what HEPA’s are, why they should be used in certain situations, and what you should be looking for.

Without getting too much into the science of things, HEPA is an acronym for high efficiency particulate air. Whenever you see the term HEPA being used it means that the filter has been made and certified in accordance with current HEPA filter standards. Nowadays you can find HEPA filters in household appliances such as fans and even vacuum cleaners.

In this article we will aim to give you a better understanding of the mould remediation process and the general steps involved.

So lets get started. You get a phone call from your tenant, saying he has spotted some mould growth in his unit and wants you to have it cleaned up immediately before he starts getting “sick”. By this point we would bet that he has already done a google search on mould and the health impacts it could have on a person, naturally you can see how one might get worried.

Now, unless you have gone through this process before, we don’t expect you to know much about how to handle this situation and what is involved.

Hopefully this article hasn’t reached you too late and instead you are being a responsible homeowner and want to know how to prevent your house from flooding. Or perhaps someone you know recently had a water damage incident in their home and now you are trying to avoid it from happening in yours. Well that is what I will be helping you with.

I decided to write this article after we experienced quite the stormy week here in Vancouver. Strong winds and rainstorms were causing power outages throughout and properties were being damaged by the events.

The local news station contacted me for an interview on how this storm was affecting people’s homes and how they could better handle the situation.

Ok, In this post I will be explaining some of the basics of water damage and how it can affect your home and health. You are likely reading this because you have experienced some water damage in your home and would like to know more on the topic, well you are not alone. In my 15 years experience water damage is the leading culprit when it comes to property damage and restoration service needs.

Now this actually surprises a lot of folks, when they hear water damage they usually imagine a flood from a nearby river, a natural disaster etc. While events as such do occur, there are more common ways for water damage to affect your home, including:

Hopefully this article hasn’t reached you too late and instead you are being a responsible homeowner and want to know how to prevent your house from flooding. Or perhaps someone you know recently had a water damage incident in their home and now you are trying to avoid it from happening in yours. Well that is what I will be helping you with.

I decided to write this article after we experienced quite the stormy week here in Vancouver. Strong winds and rainstorms were causing power outages throughout and properties were being damaged by the events.

The local news station contacted me for an interview on how this storm was affecting people’s homes and how they could better handle the situation.

This post will be about what to do when your home has flooded (or has experienced water damage). Much of this article is going to be common sense for a lot of you however I feel like I should still share these tips as it can potentially save you thousands of dollars in property and content damage.

So what do I mean by flooding? Well the word flooding is loosely interchanged with water damage, and really what it refers to is any kind of water that has leaked, spilled, or intruded into your home and thus causing damage. Anything from a leaking roof, toilet overflow, broken water pipe, or a drainage problem causing your basement to flood are examples of water damage.

So, if you happen to find yourself in this situation here are my 6 tips for dealing with a flood or water damage in your home.